Patriots' Brady eyes NFL ascent in China
SHANGHAI • New England Patriots star quarterback Tom Brady wants the National Football League (NFL) to follow basketball's example and become a major sport in China.
The five-time Super Bowl champion says he hopes to play an NFL game in China before his career ends.
But speaking in Shanghai yesterday, he admitted that the sport has a long way to go to rival the huge popularity of basketball in China.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Spurs not allowed to reduce size of pitch
LONDON • Tottenham Hotspur suffered a setback ahead of their one-season tenure at Wembley after the Premier League said they cannot alter the dimensions of the playing surface, The Times reported yesterday.
Spurs will play home matches at the 90,000-capacity national stadium before moving to a new 61,500-seat home stadium, which will be ready for the 2018-19 campaign.
The Times reported last month that Tottenham were hoping to reduce the pitch size at Wembley to suit their high-pressing game but were told in a meeting of 20 Premier League chairmen that such a change would not be permitted.
REUTERS
Vice-president's role for China coach Liu
BEIJING • Table tennis champion-turned-coach Liu Guoliang, 41, was named a vice-president of the Chinese Table Tennis Association (CTTA) yesterday.
The CTTA also announced that the two-time Olympic champion will no longer be the "chief coach" of the Chinese table tennis team.
The positions of "chief coach" and "head coaches" have been abolished in the Chinese team, with two coaching teams set up for men's and women's players.
XINHUA
Celtics, 76ers finalise swop of draft picks
NEW YORK • The Philadelphia 76ers obtained the top pick in tomorrow's National Basketball Association (NBA) draft from the Boston Celtics on Monday, with both teams officially completing a deal agreed upon and revealed over the weekend.
The 76ers are expected to make point guard Markelle Fultz the fourth No. 1 pick in club history and the second in a row after taking Australian Ben Simmons last year.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
